‘Color-outs’ might look cheap, but they help NBA teams win playoff games

When turning to view these games, many teams have orchestrated arena-wide “color-outs,” where all fans are dressed in identical cheap giveaway t-shirts as a way to build solidarity among their teams. Even the Spurs have tried it, although the teams that employ the gimmick most frequently in recent years have been Miami and Oklahoma City.

And surprisingly, these stunts appear to work.

The Wall Streeet Journal reports that since 2006, when the Heat started the fad with “White-Outs” during their run to the NBA championship, home teams have won 68.8 percent of postseason games. In the 71 instances where fans turned the arena into a solid block of color, the home teams have won 53 times for a 74.6 percent winning percentage.

It hasn’t been nearly as successful in the NHL, where teams have won only 52.3 percent of playoff color-out games, compared with 54.5 percent overall in the playoffs since 2006.

But it still looks good and gives the fans a neat souvenir — especially if their favorite team wins.

White-Outs vs. Blue-Outs

Here’s a breakdown of NBA playoff games since 2006 where the home crowd wore matching T-shirts and how the home team fared in those games.